A custom domain is one of the first steps toward building a professional presence in Microsoft 365. Instead of generic email addresses, your team can communicate through branded accounts such as name@yourcompany.com, which helps strengthen credibility and customer trust.
Microsoft 365 is designed to help organizations manage business email, collaboration, and productivity through a unified platform, making custom domain integration an essential part of deployment.
After purchasing Microsoft 365, one of the first tasks is adding your custom domain to the Microsoft 365 Admin Center. This guide will walk you through the next stage of the setup process.
Steps to Add a Domain in Microsoft 365 Admin Center
A custom domain allows your organization to use branded email addresses in Microsoft 365. It also supports services such as Outlook, Teams, and SharePoint.
Once your Microsoft 365 subscription is active, you’ll need to verify domain ownership, configure DNS records, and assign users to the domain before you can start using it across Microsoft 365 services.
Important: To add, modify, or remove a domain in Microsoft 365, you must be assigned to the Global Administrator or Domain Name Administrator role within your Microsoft 365 tenant.
The process is straightforward when you have access to your domain’s DNS settings and the appropriate administrative permissions.
Let’s see how it is done:
1. Go to Office.com and click on Admins. This will take you to the Microsoft Admin Center page. (As shown in Figure. 1)
Figure 1 Microsoft Admin Center
2. Once you are on the admin panel, click on the navigation menu in the top-left corner – and a drop-down will appear, as shown in Figure. 2.
Figure 2 Microsoft Admin Center
3. On the Navigation Menu, Select Settings >> Domains. (You might need to click on the pull-down arrow – to see all options under Settings.)
Figure 3 Microsoft Admin Center – Domains
4. This will bring you to the Domains page. From here, click on the ‘Add Domains’ tab.
Figure 4 Domains List
5. On the Add Domains page, enter the domain you want to set up.
Figure 5 Add a Domain
6. Once you enter the domain name, click on Use this domain button.
Figure 6 Add a Domain
7. Now, on the next screen, you will need to Verify your own domain name. Here, you’ll find three options. In this case, go ahead and select ‘Add a TXT record to the domain’s DNS records’ option and click on ‘Continue’.
Figure 7 Verify Domain
8. Once you click on ‘Continue’ in the previous step, you will see the below screen.
Figure 8 Verify Domain
You’ll need to add the TXT details – like the TXT Name, TXT Value, and TTL in your domain registrar’s or DNS hosting provider’s DNS settings.
Once done, you will have to come back to this page again to Verify the same.
Let’s see how to add a TXT record with your domain registrar. In this case, because ZNetLive is the domain registrar, we have explained the steps accordingly.
9. Go to the ZNetLive member panel to access the DNS setting for the specific domain. For that, Login to manage.znetlive.com/memberp >> My Services >> List Search Services >> Select the domain>> Domain Control Center >> DNS Management
Click on the DNS settings for the domain you want to configure and click on TXT Records.
Figure 9 ZNetLive Admin Panel Screen
10. Click on the Edit button in front of the TXT record you want to edit.
Figure 10 ZNetLive Admin Panel – Edit TXT Records
11. Mention all the details you got from the Microsoft Admin Center and Click on Edit the Records once done to save the changes.
Figure 11 ZNetLive Admin Panel – Edit TXT Records
You will get a message that the record details have been updated successfully. (Like shown below)
Figure 12 ZNetLive Admin Panel – Edit TXT Records
12. Once you save the records in your ZNetLive panel, return to the Microsoft Admin Center’s domain verification page. (Figure. 8). Here, click on Verify. It takes time to verify the domain. Once done, it will take you to the Add DNS records page.
Figure 13 Microsoft Admin Center – Add DNS Records
13. On the DNS records page, there are three types of records that you need to enter – MX Records, CNAME Records, and TXT Records. (as shown below)
Figure 14 Add DNS Records
To proceed, you have to enter all the records, and click on Continue, once done. This will complete the Domain Setup Process (like shown below)
Figure 15 Domain Setup Complete
As the next step, you will have to assign users to this domain. The process of the same is explained below:
Assign Users to the Domain
1. From the Domains list page, select the domain you want to assign users to.
Figure 16 Microsoft Admin Center – Domains List
2. Once you select the domain from the list, go to the navigation menu on the left and click on Home.
Figure 17 Microsoft Admin Center
3. This will open the Home page from where you will be able to see all your services and actions.
Figure 18 Microsoft Admin Center – Home
4. From here, click on Users. The below screen will appear.
Figure 19 Microsoft Admin Center – Users
Select the user you want to modify and click on Edit Username.
5. From here, make the changes in the username as per your requirement and assign the newly created domain from the drop-down.
Figure 20 Microsoft Admin Center – Manage Usernames
Click on Save Changes, once done. You will get a successfully done message like shown below.
Figure 21 Microsoft Admin Center – Username Updated
Hurray! You have now assigned users to the newly configured domain. We hope it was not so difficult.
You can also go through the following video tutorial to understand the process more clearly.
Simplify Microsoft 365 Domain Setup with ZNetLive
It is an easy process to add domain to Microsoft 365. But DNS configuration, domain verification, and email setup can sometimes create unnecessary delays. A small mistake in DNS records can affect email delivery, user access, and Microsoft 365 service activation.
With ZNetLive, businesses can get support for:
- Microsoft 365 licensing and deployment
- Domain registration and management
- DNS configuration and domain verification
- User setup and license assignment
- Email migration from existing platforms
- Microsoft 365 technical support and guidance
Whether you’re setting up Microsoft 365 for the first time or adding additional domains as your business grows, having the right support can help ensure a smooth and secure deployment.
Conclusion
Adding a custom domain to Microsoft 365 helps your organization create professional email addresses and establish a consistent brand presence. With the domain ownership verification, configuring DNS records, and assigning users correctly, you can ensure a smooth setup experience.
Need help with the Microsoft 365 setup?
ZNetLive can assist with Microsoft 365 licensing, domain configuration, email migration, and ongoing support. Explore our Microsoft 365 solutions or contact our team to get started.
